Monday, June 29, 2015

Be Watchful and Pray

"Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

Vision: Rapture Warning to Those Who Will be Left Behind

This vision is a warning to the lukewarm and worldly Christians, beware Christ is coming soon! The Lord Jesus Christ has personally warned us as a family to be always READY and WATCHFUL and that we would not be receiving a ‘special’ warning. His coming must be a surprise to His children who are expecting Him and it must be like a thief at night. Let us therefore be WATCHFUL!

“I, Charis, had a vision from the Lord this morning (June 28, 2015) soon after our morning prayers, I saw myself and our ministry people in our home church service with many other people I didn’t know. While I was looking around, I suddenly saw many of the people disappear with only a few remaining, among whom were two members of our ministry. I heard these two members screaming that they were left behind while hurling abusive and hurtful insults at one another. They were kind of blaming each other for being left behind. I also saw many young children and other wicked people in our street who were left behind carrying on as if nothing had happened. While these two people were arguing, I saw myself not being left behind, but in a new body of shining light momentarily left to comfort and encourage these two people and the others who were left behind (1 Corinthians 15:51-52;49; 58). I spoke up and said to them, 'don't worry or lose hope because the Lord will be coming again, but your entry into Heaven would be much, much harder than the first time' (Meaning the present time; Also, these words were uttered by me but the Lord put them in my mouth) (Revelation 7:14). After speaking a thought occurred to me in the vision that the devil will cause many Christians to be mutilated, but they must allow it than to deny the Lord and lose their salvation and entry into Heaven” (Revelation 20:4; Luke 17:33). This was the end of the vision.

On October 13, 2014 I (Brother Glenn) received a vision from the Lord that there would be two raptures, one before the great tribulation and another during or after the great tribulation. In this vision above to Charis, the Lord confirms a second rapture and the severe hardship disobedient Christians who would be left behind would face before entering Heaven if they overcame. Regardless of your beliefs on this subject (whether pre-trib., during, or post-trib. rapture), the key point we are emphasizing is that you should be prepared for the Lord’s soon coming.

Stay Alert and Pray

In this brief work, the Lord commanded me to warn both Christians and unbelievers to be watchful and work out their salvation, and to live expecting His coming at any given moment (Revelation 22:12). Because the message concerning the Lord’s coming has been preached since the time of the apostles, many people disregard today’s warning about the Lord’s coming. We should "be sober (self-controlled) and vigilant (alert) [because] your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:8-9).

The Bible also warns that we ... must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”" (2 Peter 3:3-4). In truth, the Lord has been confirming His soon coming to many faithful and sincere brethren around the world, to comfort, encourage and cause us to focus on Him unswervingly.

In numerous Scriptures, we are warned that the Lord’s coming would occur suddenly and unexpectedly, like a thief at night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 16:15). People will be going about doing their business – eating, drinking, being entertained, marrying and divorcing, etc., oblivious to the calamity that awaits, just like the days of Noah before the flood and the days of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 24:37-41; Luke 17:28-35).

For those who are discerning, the coming of the Lord is closer in our time than the time of past generations. As evidence, there are many confirmations from the Lord Himself through countless visions to many people, both saved and unsaved. On this website alone we have shared warnings of the Lord’s coming almost ten times (refer to this page for a list of visions). Additionally, we have been seeing escalation in the fulfillment of prophetic events, for example (and this is only a very small fraction):
  • Laws and judicial pronouncements are increasingly being passed legalizing sin (Romans 1:26-27; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Isaiah 5:20).
  • Several treaties and "peace" agreements are in the works (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
  • Increase in false teachers and false prophets, many claiming strange gifts and focusing on materialism (2 Timothy 4:3-4; 1 John 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1).
  • Increasing persecution of Christians who stand for Biblical truth (2 Timothy 3:12; John 15:19; Revelation 2:10; Mark 13:13).
  • Signs in the sky (Joel 2:30-31).
  • Globalization and the massive increase in knowledge (Daniel 12:4).
Be Prepared

Once again, brothers and sisters, we wish to reiterate that it is not our intention to stir up controversy or waste time arguing or creating quarrels about the Lord’s coming and other Biblical subjects (2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:9). The bottom line is this: the time to be ready is NOW, because tomorrow is not promised and one’s death can come any day (Proverbs 27:1; James 4:13-14). Truly, the path to everlasting life is narrow and difficult. People in the world and world leaders may seem to have it easy on the wide road for they are already readying themselves to embrace a new world order with false hope; however, we know that only the narrow road leads to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14). Like the ten virgins, we may all grow weary and sleep, but please don't be like the five foolish ones who were not prepared! We should be like the five wise virgins, having our lamps filled with oil by being Spirit-filled and maintaining a lifestyle of praying and studying God's Word always, being grateful, worshiping, witnessing, and being obedient to God, so that when the Master suddenly comes, we are ready and prepared to enter the Marriage Supper (Matthew 25:1-13).

To start preparing, please start by praying this Prayer of Repentance. For any questions about this ministry or this week’s message, feel free to contact us .

Grace in Watchfulness,

Brother Glenn and Preparing for the Kingdom Ministry Team.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Prayer is the Key to Solving All Problems – Part II

“Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

In a vision the Lord gave to Charis on Friday, June 19, 2015, the Lord led me to reiterate the importance of persistent prayer. In Part I of this message, we highlighted the importance of prayer in order to receive results. In this second part, however, we will look at prayer as a spiritual ministry—a service to God and man (Acts 6:4). We serve God in prayer when we acknowledge His grace and power to deliver, protect and provide for us. We serve man in prayer when we acknowledge our sins and the consequences of sin-problems, and seek to love and forgive one another. Prayer is a ministry to God on behalf of the Body of Christ, the world and for our own well-being (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Vision of Persistent Problems

In this vision, the Lord showed Charis that she and our other children were trapped inside our house by the enemy. In the vision, she was led to understand that my wife and I, along with our three-year-old daughter managed to escape but left the older children to find their way out by themselves. When the older children realized that they were all alone, they too tried to escape using all the available exits. Because of the persistent charging of the enemy, who had secured all the escape routes with determined demonic guards and snakes, the children were left totally paralyzed with fear and at the mercy of the enemy. When Charis finally managed to briefly get away from the enemy, she was shown that some of the children were captured and hanged. She had desperately tried to encourage them not to give up their faith in the Lord, but to fight in order to secure their salvation. Soon after the vision ended, the Lord spoke and said, Pray, pray, pray always. Pray no matter what!

In interpreting this message, the Lord says that everyone will have to escape the attacks and snares of Satan using his own faith (Ezekiel 18:20; Jeremiah 31:30). He also said that instead of panicking and trying to run from our problems, we should turn to Him in prayer and ask for help. If we run, the problems will only multiply, resulting in not being able to escape from Satan’s traps and failing totally in our faith, ultimately suffering eternal consequences.

Prayer Activates Faith

As is commonly known, prayer releases our faith in God’s ability to show us mercy and to help us in our troubles and times of need (Luke 18:1-8). In prayer, we put our trust (faith) and lay our burden on God. In His assurance to us, the Lord gives us His peace to comfort us while we are waiting for His timely solution (Matthew 11:29-30; John 14:27). In other words, His peace is an expression of His care for us (1 Peter 5:7). Brethren, we must realize that when we doubt God, panic will overwhelm us and suffocate our faith. As a result, we will not embrace or enjoy His peace, neither can we expect an answer from Him (James 1:6-7; Mark 11:24).

There are many reasons why the Lord does not answer prayers. Some of the stumbling blocks include: doubt (James 1:6-7), sinful living and unfaithfulness in our service to God (John 9:31; 1 Peter 3:7), grudges or unforgiveness (Matthew 5:23-24), and not being persistent in prayer (Luke 18:1-8; Romans 12:12; Colossians 4:2-6). From the Scriptures, we see the following specific examples:
  • When some of the Israelites doubted God’s promises, He denied them entry into the Promised Land (Numbers 14:20-30).
  • God rejected Saul’s prayers due to His disobedience (1 Samuel 28:6).
  • King David was not driven by malice, grudges or unforgiveness towards Saul who persecuted Him, but his willingness to forgive King Saul and leave him in the hands of the Lord brought honor to God who is the Supreme Judge (1 Samuel 26:9-11). This noble act secured the Lord’s promise of giving the throne of Israel to David (1 Samuel 15:28).
  • King Hezekiah’s persistence in prayer resulted in God answering his prayer by delivering him and his army from the arrogant Assyrian forces (Isaiah 38:5-6).
In a remarkable way, God releases His promises first to support our faith to trust in Him, and as we obey while trusting in Him, He fulfills the promises (Genesis 12:2). As it is, these promises are only fulfilled after an experience of faith, hardship and test (Genesis 22:1; Hebrews 6:15). From the above Scriptures, it becomes apparent that God uses our faith, patience and our obedience in fulfilling His promises.

God’s Timing in Answering Prayer

In a desperate tone, someone once wrote me an email saying that he did not receive any answers to his prayers because God does not care about him. In response, the Lord revealed that this person lived in disobedience and that he was being worldly and impatient. On the subject of lacking patience, I also had to endure a rebuke from the Lord about five years ago for being impatient and lacking faith. My habit was constantly asking the Lord through Charis when I would receive a promise. Instead, He encouraged me to continue praying and reassured me that He had not forgotten about His promises and my requests (2 Peter 3:9). Persistent prayer is, therefore, an expression of faith, humility and patience, and at the appointed time God will answer, just like He remembered Joseph (Genesis 41:14).

With so much deception swirling around and people being so desperate for fame and fortune, we must be very careful as there are some preachers who go about demanding money from people, claiming that they have some special anointing to help solve our problems as if they have a special relationship with God. You should depend on your own faith and prayers; we already have learned how the prayer of agreement works. Don’t act desperately and run to people to seek God on your behalf when you have problems. Instead, you should trust the Lord and use that situation to express your faith in the Him. Humble yourself and wait on the Lord, He will hear your heart and provide. God is no respecter of any person (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11). In this walk of faith, we are all called to endure individually and be tested and readied by God for ministry service and Kingdom approval (1 Peter 1:6-8).

While it is true that no one can say exactly when God will answer a prayer request, it is also true that He will answer us if we prove faithful to him in persistent prayer. We should always expect Him to answer us no matter how long we wait (Matthew 21:22). If we pray aimlessly, that is without adding faith to our prayer and a sense of desperation for the answer to our request, we may not have our prayer answered. I once trusted the Lord to bless me with a job promotion because this would have saved me from transport problems and having to work awkward shifts. However, I did not receive the answer that I expected due to not being persistent in prayer, and my heart was also on another job. I was divided having a double interest: the prospect of a new job and the promise of a promotion. In my indecisiveness, I was interested in either opportunity, and this led to me losing out on both. Brethren, when we are divided in what we want, God will not choose for us; we must make a firm decision and be undivided in our request. We cannot simply act like children who want this and later decide that we need something else. No! With the Lord, we must be resolute in our choice as this shows faith and destiny (2 Kings 20:1-6).

As an emphasis, an answer to our prayers is dependent on how desperately we want that something and this will determine how patient we will be until God comes through for us. As to how long the Lord will take to grant our request, He does so when it is needed and when we have pleased Him in our diligence and obedience (Daniel 10:11-13). The preceding Scripture declares that Daniel’s prayer was immediately heard and answered, unbeknown to him. As an expression of his desperation, Daniel fasted for 21 days to show his faith and his need for God’s answer. Satan, who always manages to delay and detain our answers from God, was overcome by Daniel’s faith and persistence (Daniel 10:2), and after 21 days his answer was released. How many of us set a date for God to answer our prayers, and if He does not answer us by that date we give up?

The greater the problem we face, the more faith and determination or interest we must show to have our request granted (Matthew 15:21-28; Luke 8:43-48). During the length of time God takes to answer our prayers, He is using that amount of time for us to work out strongly our faith, patience, obedience, and the distinguishing marks of the cross: the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:3-4; James 1:3). Let us therefore not give up praying, for only therein can we access God’s mercy, deliverance, and provisions. With a humble heart and a sincere faith, God will not neglect to answer our prayers (Isaiah 65:24), but if we give ourselves to complaining, He will not bring to birth the plans He has for each one of us (Numbers 14:20-23; Jeremiah 29:11). His precious promises serve as an incentive for us to grow in our faith, and after we are proved faithful and obedient, God in His wisdom releases these promises for us. However, the faithless He excludes from His promises (Hebrews 4:3). Therefore, rest in the Lord’s faithfulness and always pray, NO MATTER WHAT! However compelling the circumstances, still PRAY!!! Prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock God’s blessings and give you victory.

To jump start your prayer life, please sincerely pray this Prayer of Repentance, and feel free to contact us for any questions about this ministry or this week’s message.

Blessed love in Christ,

Brother Glenn.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Are You Too Discouraged to Continue in Christ?

It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them (2 Peter 2:21).

Over the course of the years that we have been operating this ministry (both home and online ministry), we have witnessed with sadness how Christians who were previously zealous in their faith have abandoned the Lord and returned to the world. Some might have left the Lord through discouragement or had no root in their faith (Luke 8:13), while others abandoned their faith and returned to embracing worldly desires and pleasures (Luke 8:14). Our message today is for both groups of people.

The Challenges of Life

Facing discouragement and trouble is common in life, and people, Christians included, will always face challenges which are aimed at hindering us from having a smooth journey in life (Acts 14:22; John 16:33). However, we still have to choose between “life and death, blessings and curses” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Like the above Scripture suggest, God purposely designed life that way after the fall of man (Genesis 3:17-19). This might sound remote and removed from reality, but I tell you in truth we all experience setbacks and disappointments, even currently. As it is, many people argue and ignorantly blame God for allowing such hardships on man, while the real perpetrator continue to wreak havoc (John 10:10). As we mentioned in the article on Blaming God When Bad Things Happen, blaming God when we face hardships or when people sin against us is wicked and shows faithlessness towards God. Instead of blaming God or others, we are called to trust the Lord for deliverance, in all situations, while bearing and growing in the fruit of perseverance and longsuffering (2 Timothy 3:10-11).

We might not have all the answers, but we do learn from Scriptures that God made an agreement with man in the beginning, giving man the choice and explaining the consequences if the agreement was disobeyed (Genesis 2:15-17). This agreement was accepted but man later failed to honour it (Genesis 3:6-7). For those who don’t appreciate the values of history, the truth is that in life all rules or laws either designed by man or God are binding to all humanity who enter into this world. In the Bible Scripture referenced above, Eve was not yet brought into the world when God gave the commandment to Adam (Genesis 2:18). However, she was told by Adam, showing acceptance of God’s commandment of abstaining from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:2-3). In our Christian life we should also appreciate that all Bible teachings and admonitions are given for our own well-being (1 Timothy 4:15-16).

The governing authorities, including the government and local authorities, do often enact rules for social cohesion that are designed for our well-being (Romans 13:1-5). However, we must remember that God’s Word and commands are superior to human rules, and our obedience must first be to God (Acts 5:29).

Vision of Two Roads

In a brief vision to me on June 2, 2015, the Lord showed me two roads that people travel on in their lives’ journey. In this this vision, I was shown the road that I was travelling on. To me the road seemed to be rough, muddy and full of pretty high humps. As I walked on this road, I invited people to join me but they just stared at me. While travelling on this road, I saw a woman (whom I know) crying as she appeared on another road. As I went further down, her boyfriend appeared to my right. We hugged and while hugging him, a feeling of intense compassion, love and forgiveness came over me as I deeply cried over him. As we strolled after hugging, the man took me to another road which was all smooth and neatly decorated, almost shiny in appearance. I made a remark on the beauty of the road and he replied: “You should try out this road. We cannot travel on this road if we don’t smoke and do wrong things.” He continued: “This road is very smooth, fast and slippery, and it makes sparks which inflict some pain as we travel on it. No one can travel on this road unless they do wrong things, because that slows the pace of the road.” After he said this, I turned away from him and left that road, and the vision ended. This vision refers to the two broad and narrow roads that the Lord spoke about (Matthew 7:13-14).

Brethren, the Lord is telling us in this vision that the broad, seemingly beautiful road is walked by those who do wrong things, and that sin serves as an encouragement to those who travels on this road. The road looks beautiful and attractive on the outside to lure people, but when being travelled on it hurts those who walk on it – hence the consequences of sin. And while those who walk on the crooked road face many obstacles, and even as they endure the road becomes rougher, the Lord is right there to give them relief and comfort (Genesis 15:1; Hebrews 13:5).

God’s Calling on Servants

Being called by God takes faith, courage and commitment. In many Scriptures throughout the Bible, we witness how people who have the Holy Spirit invite trouble and hardship from the devil who rules the world (1 Peter 4:14; Matthew 4:1). When we are bent on doing the will of God in our lives, even members of our own family may attempt to discourage us through insults or other means (1 John 3:13). From our experience, people who continuously hurl abuse and insults at others operate from a hateful spirit (1 Samuel 18:8-9).

Similarly, when a person has been called and anointed by God to do ministry work, his work is approved by God through unique supernatural experiences and encouragement (John 10:38; Acts 23:11); those experiences bring glory to God. In encouragement to you, if you have received a calling and a vision from God to do ministry work, please go out there in faith and do God’s work. In our experience, discussing your calling with your leader will inevitably result in discouragement and even your faith being “shipwrecked”, because some leaders might make you think they have all the experience to steer you on the right road. It is true that our ill-experience leads us to our leaders for advice; however it’s better to take God’s advice first, as Samuel did and he was not influenced by the priest Eli (1 Samuel 3:19), and so did Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-10).

When God called us into ministry, we went to seek our pastor’s approval. Instead of encouraging us, our pastor had his ministry’s interest at heart, and his advice was for us to remain and use the gift for the benefit of his ministry. When we asked the Lord, He said that His calling for us is to create a ministry that will minister further away in order to reach souls beyond the scope of the other ministry. Therefore, in essence, the Lord directs ministry activity for the benefit of the whole body.

Faith Heroes who Conquered Discouragement

The Bible highlights some examples of people who overcame discouragement:
  • When David’s men were discouraged and distressed because they lost their children, wives and possessions, they were on the verge of stoning David. But being a man who was no stranger to hardships and sufferings. David knew His God and took courage in Him instead of lamenting and wailing (1 Samuel 30:6). David summoned his faith in God and his courage gave strength to his men who went to recover their belongings. This is as a powerful encouragement to us when we feel discouraged.
  • We also see Caleb and Joshua conquering discouragement through their faith in God’s ability, and they made their confession in relation to their convictions. As result, they were rewarded by entering the Promised Land (Numbers 14:30).
  • Additionally, being in a dire situation, Esther and Mordecai saved their nation from annihilation through prayer and fasting. They did not allow discouragement to overcome them, and instead of just sitting on their faith, they used it and called upon God’s help. The Lord answered and redeemed them while rewarding them as well (Esther 4:12-16; 6:7-11). Hallelujah!
  • Furthermore, Job in his discouragement about the fate that had befallen him, did not faithlessly walk away from God, but rallied his hope in the redemption of God (Job 2:9-10).
How many of us when faced by hardships start yelling at God and blaming Him for our condition? I received some messages from Christian brethren who vent their frustrations on God, and sadly some have gone back to their former ways.

On the other hand, we have a brother in Christ and the Lord bless his heart! This is the same person we asked for help for in our appeal in the “The Eternal Benefit of Godly Correction” article which was ignored by many Christians. This brother has all the odds stacked against him but in humble obedience he continues in Christ while trusting in the Lord to provide for his daily bread. If he had settled for discouragement, he would have ended up destroying his faith and increasing his suffering. In the Lord however, he has comfort, care and hope.

In conclusion, let us not be babies in our faith and allow discouragement and people’s insulting opinions to dictate our faith in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). Instead, let us hold fast to Christ and shun evil while holding on to the promised hope of Christ’s return. Our faith in Christ comforts and encourage us, and when we are faced with challenges that could easily make one doubt God’s deliverance, we take to prayer and the Lord honours our faith by answering and providing. So I encourage you in love: Don’t give up on Christ! Keep walking on strong in Him.

If you feel discouraged in your faith, please choose to trust God. He is faithful to help you continue serving him that you may be counted among His treasured possession (Malachi 3:16-18; Psalm 46:1). If you are not born again, we welcome you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ – please pray this Prayer of Sincere Repentance. For any questions or comments on this article or our ministry, please contact us.

Yours in Christ’s service,
Brother Glenn.